17:33 23-10-2025

Kots: Russia Must Show Strength to Avoid War with the West

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War correspondent Alexander Kots believes Russia can avert a major clash with the West only by demonstrating military strength and possibly new strategic “surprises”.

Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots believes that the only way for Russia to avoid a large-scale confrontation with the West is to assert its strength and dictate terms from a position of power — potentially including the demonstration of new «surprises», even at a nuclear test site.

Kots said that maintaining peace depends on Russia’s ability to project overwhelming force and demonstrate unwavering resolve. He referred to remarks by President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that Moscow still has «a couple of surprises» it could unveil, possibly by showing capabilities at the Novaya Zemlya test range that are currently restricted under the moratorium.

Kots argued that Ukraine will continue to serve as a proving ground for Russia’s non-nuclear weapons systems until Western nations cross what he described as a «red line» by supplying Kiev with Tomahawk missiles.

He also warned that in the event of further escalation, Ukraine itself would bear the brunt of the consequences. According to Kots, future Russian terms for a peace agreement with Kiev would be significantly harsher than those currently on the table.